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Encanto Farms Nursery > Topics > To SIP or not to SIP for Cuttings
 
 


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chome360

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
Looking for some clarity on this.  I've noticed a few posts about success with putting rooted cuttings in a small SIP fashioned out of a cup instead of a standard cup (not a SIP).  I have 20 cuttings currently in moss about 2 weeks away from going into cups.  Question is, I understood it was best to spray the soil/perlite mix with a small amount of water to make it slightly moist when putting cuttings in cups, then only watering a very small amount if at all since they are in a humidity chamber and don't need much water.  Wouldn't a SIP be the opposite of that?  The soil/perlite mix will wick up a lot more water than without a SIP, I would imagine at least.

Thoughts?
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gorgi

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
First off, pl. clarify what 'SIP' is...
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chome360

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
Sub Irrigated Planter

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/pictorial-the-5-minute-mini-sip-6416006?highlight=sip
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gorgi

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
Sorry; I cannot help you there.
I never used any Sub Irrigated Planters (SIPs).
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chome360

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
Me neither :)
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rafaelissimmo

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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
I find the SIPs work well, if you can get the cuttings to root, I am having a 100% success rate with the 32oz SIPs, whereas I have had trouble with clear cups as an alternative. No rotting, no gnats. Win-win for me.
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gorgi

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
Why a the new thread?
Instead of posting the same question/clarification on the thread link in post #3.
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/pictorial-the-5-minute-mini-sip-6416006
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bullet08

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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
i'm one of those people who doesn't like fixing things that are not broken. even if it's broken, if it functions, i won't look for new solution. innovations and progresses are such a pain.

16 oz clear cup drilled with 1/4" holes and peat pot inside has been working for me since i started this, and after 4 yrs, i'm still using it. SIP should work well, but looks like a overkill.
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Rewton

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
What I would suggest, and what I did, is to put some of your cuttings in mini-SIPs and some in conventional cups and judge for yourself what works best in your hands.  For what it's worth I have lost one cutting in mini-SIPs (and it looks like I will probably lose another) while I have yet to lose one in 16 oz cups.  In my hands large cuttings work best in mini-SIPs.  Getting the water right in mini-SIPs (at least with small cuttings) is not as straightforward as I thought it would be but I think with some experience I could get it working well.  If a cutting gets past the initial stages in a SIP it does seem to put out more lush foliage and more extensive root system than it does in a cup.
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Steve MD zone 7a
DallasFigs

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Posted Reply with quote  #10 
Exactly what Rewton said..

Large cuttings seem to work better.  The media I use for larger SIPs wicks up too much water in the mini SIPs.  So I find my self letting the reservoir going completely dry for at least 24 hours before watering again. And then I don't fill the reservior.  My reservois will hold nearly 300ml, but I only put about 125, then let it go dry again.

I'm going to try a few in just 32oz plain cups as a comparison.
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Rewton

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Posted Reply with quote  #11 
James, this is why I like your design with the tall 32 oz cup with the K-cup mounted in the bottom to serve as the wick.  That way you can see exactly how much water is in the reservior and its easier to control.  I've never lost a cutting in one of those.  I am going to try a couple of the 2 L bottle designs (with fabric) wick that ascpete showed as well.
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coop951

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Posted Reply with quote  #12 
I'm enjoying this whole SIPmania. It is giving us Northern fig enthusiasts some fun while the polar vortex zips through our zones. I myself am giving the mini SIPs a try this year for the first time and it is quite fun adapting an old idea with new elements. As a long time large tub SIP user via Bills Figs, making little bitty ones is quite fun.
The problem is if I see a cup or container, all I want to do is make a SIP out of it. 
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ascpete

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Posted Reply with quote  #13 
Chome360,
I think the answer to your question is yes...

A SIP will continue wicking water into the mix until it becomes saturated, but only if the reservoir is over sized or you keep refilling the reservoir. If you only water with a fixed amount and only when it is needed (dry), the mix will be "properly" watered every time.

Regardless of whether or not you use SIPs to grow your cuttings following this simple procedure may save you from over watering your cuttings. The Reservoir fill amount is only needed in the initial growth stage, once the cutting has fully callused and the roots have "hardened" the SIP can be watered normally.

It seems that several members may have started using the Mini-SIPs without first testing them to see if they distribute the water properly with their preferred mix or whether the wicks and reservoirs are correctly sized. Mini-SIPs are not a panacea, they have to be used within the scope of their design. They will "bottom water" to distribute water evenly in the mix and maintain the mix in an aerated condition. In contrast, top watering washes the smaller mix particles down around the bottom of the cutting, holding moisture and causing rot.

Regardless of SIP designs or planter types and sizes, following the simple procedure linked above will work to keep you from over watering. Simply perform a test on your SIP or Planter and Potting Mix, it will be very easy to see if it will be successful. Find the fill amount and then water the SIP or planter filled with your dry mix, wait an hour or two then dump out the mix in a container to check the water distribution.
greenfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #14 
Pete,

I use about 15 different SIP cups that you suggested originally. I have not lost a cutting, i am moderately watering with diluted liquid fertilizer. Thank you!
I think the cuttings in 32oz containers approach the repotting time. Wouid you have any suggestions on how to move from a SIP to a 2 gal conventional pot?
The moisture level in a SIP is quite diffeterent than in a pot.
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ascpete

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Posted Reply with quote  #15 
Greenfig,
You're welcome. Could you please post pictures and a commentary of your experience to the Mini-SIP Topic, Thanks
Just repot as you normally would, treat it as a plug and plant in the new container if its not root bound. Good Luck.
chome360

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Posted Reply with quote  #16 
Thank you guys. Lots of useful info.
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jdsfrance

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Posted Reply with quote  #17 
Hi,
I did not SIP .
I have 2 pots of compost for 3 cuttings and 2 for seedlings.

But I use all the infos some of you have given around the SIP :
1. Don't water from the top - just moist the surface some times.
2. Water from the plate under each pot - don't let water stay too long in the plate.
My compost wicks the water properly - the remaining water in the plate , if any, is removed the next day.
I'm still waiting for the leaves to wilt ...
Well ok, I'm watering before that on Sundays.
The plants are under an end of a 30 W aquarium growth plant tube - at its right end - the rest of the tube if for my tropical fishes .
That aquarium is near the wall at the opposite side of where my windows are, so not much direct sun light
I'm about to add some fertilizer in sticks - 2 or 3 sticks per pot.

So far so good - But I'm more concerned about the long run and April/ Mai - because it is the time frame where I lost my 3 tests of last year.
This year I started my tests in December instead of October the year before to help me not mess them up !
Last year they were near a window - and I think they got some bad fresh air coming from the outside / and sun heat in Mai during some sunny days .
The color of the shutter of that window has been sun burned - It turned from dark brown to light brown.
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